US official says China is ‘funding’ Iran, urges Beijing to help open Hormuz
Scott Bessent says US has ‘absolute control’ of Hormuz, but calls on China to ‘step up’ with diplomacy to reopen strait.
Scott Bessent says US has ‘absolute control’ of Hormuz, but calls on China to ‘step up’ with diplomacy to reopen strait.
![In this handout photo taken and released on April 14, 2026 by the Spanish Prime Minister's office La Moncloa, China's President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in Beijing. [Borja Puig de la Bellacasa/La Moncloa via AFP]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/AFP__20260414__A7RH6WE__v1__HighRes__ChinaSpainDiplomacyPolitics_cropped-1776177347.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
![This frame grab, taken from video from Belarusian state-owned news outlet Pul Pervogo, shows Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko watching as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un holds a rifle gifted to him by Lukashenko in Pyongyang. [Pul Pervogo/AFP]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/image-1774548190.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt says Chinese President Xi Jinping will also visit US at a later date.
Han Shen Lin, director of the China Office at the Asia Consultative Group, says that China is likely to remain neutral,
US spy agencies says Chinese leadership still prefers to pursue unification with Taiwan ‘without use of force’.
Experts say rooting out corruption in the military remains a priority for China’s President Xi.
The US president delays March 31-April 2 trip to China to focus on the escalating war against Iran.
The National People’s Congress signals firm stance against corruption as China’s 15th five-year plan is approved.
The National People’s Congress set a GDP target of 4.5 to 5 percent for 2026 as China grapples with economic slowdown.
Beijing is expected to set a growth target of 4.5 to 5 percent cent for 2026 at this week’s NPC.
Three-day trip, at Beijing’s invitation, comes more than eight years after Trump’s first visit to China.
The CIA’s latest YouTube video offers instructions for how to contact the agency on the encrypted Tor Browser.
